Greetings fellow undeads. I just returned from a week long trip to Niagara Falls, Ontario (Canada). Ergo, I have a few things to say about Canada since this is the first time I've been there.
It started when we arrived at border patrol / Customs. I asked the customs officer where I needed to go to turn around, because I had things that I needed to keep in a lockbox in the US before I crossed the border. He asked what items I needed to return to the US, and I rattled off a list of all potentially offensive items. We were told to park, and then immediately detained, patted down, locked in a room, interrogated, our rental car searched, all of our luggage strewn about, and made to wait over half an hour before they decided that my sidearm (Heckler & Kock USP .40 police issue) would be confiscated and held until I left Canada. Okay, that's fine, I can agree to not being able to bring a firearm across borders, and so long as I get it back, whatever, cool. The also confiscated my steel baton and my pocket knife, told me that the above items will be confiscated and destroyed. The steel baton (read: Milla Jovovich RE2 style baton) was not listed as a restricted or prohibited item, but they deemed it a "dangerous concealable weapon" that I "was supposed to know that I couldn't bring into Canada" despite no regulations neither posted nor on their prohibited items list on their website mentioning the item. The other item, a pocket knife, the officers deemed a "switchblade knife" because it was easy to open with one hand. Wow, switchblades are illegal in the United States, and I've been searched by our police at least three different times, and nothing was said of the knife. While asking if I could take these items back to the US which I had intended on in the first place, they threatened to arrest me (and my friend which had NO weapons). Keep in mind that I was very courteous and willing to comply during this entire process, and cooperated fully. So finally, completely disarmed and getting $30 dollars worth of anti-getting-my-ass-mugged-gear and a half an hour of our time, we were allowed to pass, as guards kept their hands on their guns as we pulled away. What a warm welcome.
After arriving there, we noticed several good-to-know facts the tourism guides don't tell you. They stop selling beer at 9pm, it costs double sometimes TRIPLE what we pay for it in the states, our hotel parking was $13 per day, food costs at least twice as much, gas costs $3.50 per gallon, they don't have American cigarettes, and tax is 16.5%. Wow, there went some hard earned dollar bills.
So being back in the states now (after nearly being arrested in Ohio too for LEGALLY carrying weapons) I can buy beer until 3am at rock bottom prices, I can carry my guns anywhere within reason without being hassled, and I can eat lunch for under five bucks.
Now, you may ask, the moral of the story?
It started when we arrived at border patrol / Customs. I asked the customs officer where I needed to go to turn around, because I had things that I needed to keep in a lockbox in the US before I crossed the border. He asked what items I needed to return to the US, and I rattled off a list of all potentially offensive items. We were told to park, and then immediately detained, patted down, locked in a room, interrogated, our rental car searched, all of our luggage strewn about, and made to wait over half an hour before they decided that my sidearm (Heckler & Kock USP .40 police issue) would be confiscated and held until I left Canada. Okay, that's fine, I can agree to not being able to bring a firearm across borders, and so long as I get it back, whatever, cool. The also confiscated my steel baton and my pocket knife, told me that the above items will be confiscated and destroyed. The steel baton (read: Milla Jovovich RE2 style baton) was not listed as a restricted or prohibited item, but they deemed it a "dangerous concealable weapon" that I "was supposed to know that I couldn't bring into Canada" despite no regulations neither posted nor on their prohibited items list on their website mentioning the item. The other item, a pocket knife, the officers deemed a "switchblade knife" because it was easy to open with one hand. Wow, switchblades are illegal in the United States, and I've been searched by our police at least three different times, and nothing was said of the knife. While asking if I could take these items back to the US which I had intended on in the first place, they threatened to arrest me (and my friend which had NO weapons). Keep in mind that I was very courteous and willing to comply during this entire process, and cooperated fully. So finally, completely disarmed and getting $30 dollars worth of anti-getting-my-ass-mugged-gear and a half an hour of our time, we were allowed to pass, as guards kept their hands on their guns as we pulled away. What a warm welcome.
After arriving there, we noticed several good-to-know facts the tourism guides don't tell you. They stop selling beer at 9pm, it costs double sometimes TRIPLE what we pay for it in the states, our hotel parking was $13 per day, food costs at least twice as much, gas costs $3.50 per gallon, they don't have American cigarettes, and tax is 16.5%. Wow, there went some hard earned dollar bills.
So being back in the states now (after nearly being arrested in Ohio too for LEGALLY carrying weapons) I can buy beer until 3am at rock bottom prices, I can carry my guns anywhere within reason without being hassled, and I can eat lunch for under five bucks.
Now, you may ask, the moral of the story?
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